Schnieder apologizes to victims of the Ahr Valley flood for the state's failure

Schnieder, who has only been in office since May of this year as the successor to Alexander Schweitzer (SPD), acknowledged fallibility at all levels before those present. „Ich sage Ihnen: Menschen sind fehlbar. Organisationen und Institutionen sind fehlbar. Es war Fehlbarkeit, die dazu führte, dass das Ahrtal nicht auf diese Katastrophe vorbereitet war. Es war Fehlbarkeit, die dazu führte, dass so viele Menschen gestorben sind. Es war Fehlbarkeit, dass das Leid in dieser Schicksalsnacht nicht abgemildert wurde“, said the Minister President. The state had not fulfilled its obligation to protect its citizens that night. „Der Staat hat in dieser Frage versagt – dafür bitte ich als Ministerpräsident um Entschuldigung“, so Schnieder.

The apology marks a significant change in course compared to previous statements by the Rhineland-Palatinate state government. The then-Minister President Malu Dreyer (SPD), who led the state at the time of the disaster, had consistently rejected an apology until her resignation in June 2024, which she announced for health reasons. She was convinced that she bore no blame for a natural disaster and could therefore not apologize, Dreyer had stated. Her successor Alexander Schweitzer had also acknowledged political mistakes but likewise rejected a formal apology.

A long-awaited signal

As ZDF Rhineland-Palatinate state studio chief Christel Haas reported, the people in the Ahr Valley had demanded an apology from the state government for five years – „für die Versäumnisse und Fehler, die in der Flutnacht passiert sind“. Haas spoke of a „sehr große[n] Bedeutung für die Menschen hier im Ahrtal“. She also made clear that the criticism of the handling of the disaster weighs heavily: „Es hätten also Menschen noch überleben können, die in den Fluten gestorben sind“, said the reporter. „Warnketten hätten nicht funktioniert, der Katastrophenalarm wurde viel zu spät ausgelöst."

Climate protection as a central lesson

At the memorial event marking the fifth anniversary of the flood, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for greater efforts in climate protection at the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament. „Der Klimaschutz dürfe im Industrieland Deutschland nicht aus den Augen verloren werden“, said Steinmeier. North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) described greater climate protection as „die große Lehre auch aus der Hochwasserkatastrophe vor fünf Jahren".

Reconstruction not yet completed

Five years after the disaster, reconstruction in the Ahr Valley is still far from complete. According to the Mainz Ministry of Construction, of around 30 severely damaged or destroyed bridges in the classified road network, 14 have already been restored, and a further nine are in planning or under construction. Many of those affected also continue to struggle with the psychological consequences of what they experienced.

ZDF reporter Haas nevertheless drew a mixed conclusion: „Man hat die Lehren aus der Flut gezogen", she said. The Minister President's apology is a long-awaited signal of state responsibility for the people on the ground – even if it cannot heal the wounds of 135 dead and one missing person.

In his speech, Schnieder emphasized that it is „das Versprechen und die Zusage des Staates, seine Bürgerinnen und Bürger zu schützen". With his apology, the state government is acknowledging this claim – five years after a night that changed the Ahr Valley forever.